Don Shaffer

Don Shaffer "is president & CEO of RSF Social Finance, a nonprofit financial services organization at the center of a growing movement to support a network of place-based, local economies that value human beings and the environment. Inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, RSF has made over $165 million in loans and over $70 million in grants since 1984 to organizations in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. RSF is dedicated to using the tools of social finance to bring about positive, real-world change. The organization's goal is to make money available to innovative projects and to fundamentally change the way the world works with money. "Prior to joining RSF, Don served as executive director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), developing it into an alliance of over 15,000 independently-owned businesses across the US and Canada. He has also served as interim executive director of Investors' Circle, a network of angel investors, professional venture capitalists, foundations, family offices, and others who invest private capital into companies addressing social and environmental issues. Don's experience includes over 15 years in senior management positions building social mission companies, including Comet Skateboards, a designer and manufacturer of premium skateboarding products committed to local and sustainable business practices. He has served and led sales, marketing, business development, and general operations teams in the education and software sectors. Don serves as a board member of Comet Skateboards, BALLE, and Social Venture Network. He participates in an advisory capacity with Entrepreneurship@Cornell, B Lab, and Slow Money. He also co-chairs the Roots of Change Business Leadership Council. Don graduated with a degree in American History from Cornell University and lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Sabine."